The first major jump came in 2004, when attendance increased 40 percent from the previous season. The Tigers were coming off a franchise-worst 119 losses, but hope was sparked in the offseason when owner Mike Ilitch opened his pocket book to sign future Hall of Famer Pudge Rodriguez.

The attendance figures spiked again in 2006 when the Tigers made a jump to playoff contender. No surprise here. But what's truly telling is the continued rise in 2007 and 2008.

"Probably the biggest thing that impacts a team's revenue going forward is whether or not they reach the postseason," Gennaro said during an interview with the MLB Network. "What tends to happen once a team gets to October baseball the fans start to scramble for postseason tickets, and they're either dissatisfied with the seat choices or the ticket prices in the secondary market. So what they do is put their order in for the following year to buy either a partial- or full-season ticket."

Gennaro also said it's common for those teams to raise their ticket prices by more than twice as much as teams that don't reach the postseason. We saw as much recently with the Detroit Lions. Other areas of increased revenue following a playoff appearance include increased luxury suite sales, sponsorships and broadcast ratings.

The Tigers bucked the trend a bit in 2008, selling more tickets despite falling well short of expectations in 2007. That can easily be explained by the acquisition of Miguel Cabrera, and the slew of hype that followed that trade. Remember when local and national writers were projecting the Tigers would score 1,000 runs that season? Well, that hype drove the market.

After that team finished a disappointing 74-88, ticket sales balanced out. Detroit has drawn between 2.46-2.64 million the previous three years, but next season is lining up to be a perfect revenue-generating storm for the Tigers.

Detroit is coming off a postseason appearance, their first since 2006, so by Gennaro's estimation, the team is already in line for a significant boost in season-ticket sales. Even though the enthusiasm for the Tigers may have slightly dipped in the immediate aftermath of Victor Martinez's injury, most still expected them to win the AL Central. But the memory of Martinez was quickly erased by the addition of Fielder.

Like Rodriguez and Cabrera before him, Fielder provides an immediate shot to the arm of season-ticket sales.

"Our phone lines have been ringing like crazy with season-ticket requests, which is exciting for all of us," general manager Dave Dombrowski told the Chicago Tribune.

The combination of Fielder's signing and coming off a postseason berth could easily bring half a million more people through the Comerica Park turnstiles next season. The average ticket cost for the Tigers last season was $23. That's $11.5 million dollars without even factoring in additional concessions, merchandise sales, parking, or anticipated playoff revenue.

Fielder is in line to make approximately $24 million per season, and the Tigers should easily get a return on their investment for the next few seasons, especially if the team can continue to qualify for the postseason.